the most powerful magic
by notdonewithyou
Summary: Killian is finally forced to do the bidding of the Dark One and put Emma in the hat. spoilers from 4x08, speculation onward.


Darkness obscured Emma's vision as she came to, the haziness in her mind beginning to fade away. As she began to come to, she felt binding around her chest, wrists, and ankles, keeping her immobile. At first, she tried pulling at the binds, but they were stronger than her, and when she tried to use her magic, she found it ineffective. Despite the darkness, she closed her eyes, trying to think of how she could have possibly found herself tied to a chair. The last thing she could remember, she was with Killian on a second date. She remembered him doing his utmost to convince her that it was needed, and she had finally conceded.

_Killian sat with Emma's arm around her waist, looking up at the stars as they twinkled in the sky. They were perched at the edge of a dock, away from all the boats in the marina, away from the town, just the two of them, finally and truly alone. Killian's laugh bubbled up in her chest, shaking her head as it laid against his shoulder._

"_That's not even the best one," she said, lifting her head. "Here's one. Your father must have been a thief, because he stole the stars and put them in your eyes."_

_Killian chuckled a little more, looking down at her face, fully amused. "And that rubbish actually works on women of this realm?"_

"_You'd be surprised," Emma said, raising her head up. "You can't tell me you guys didn't have some version of a pickup line."_

"_I suppose we do," Killian said, clearing his throat. "My lady, you wouldn't happen to know a place where a lonely knight could scabbard his sword, would you?"_

_Emma couldn't hold back the laugh that burst forth, and she couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard. "And you said ours are bad?" She asked, barely able to get the question out through the laughing and the tears._

"_Oi! That got me a fair few lasses back in the day," he said, nudging her in the side with his elbow before looking out at the ocean._

"_Back in the day? You're starting to sound as old as you actually are," Emma said, looking back over at him. His face had dropped considerably, no longer as happy as it had been. "Hey, I'm sorry. But if you want me to stop commenting on your age, you're eventually going to have to stop bringing up that I was almost engaged to a monkey."_

_Killian shook his head, taking a long deep breath. "Emma, there is something that you need to know. And it has been killing me since you almost gave up your magic." His head flinched, eyes scrunched as if he were in pain. "And I need you to know just how sorry I am," he said, his voice breaking._

_Emma reached out to touch his shoulder, concern for him growing more every second. "Killian, what are you talking about?"_

_Killian looked up at her, the pain evident in his eyes as he let out a breath. "Emma, I'm sorry," he said one last time, and everything was black._

Emma refused to believe that the last memory she had had led to this. She trusted Killian with her life, and with everything he had done and given up to keep her in his life, he wouldn't have been the one to do this to her. She opened her eyes again, trying to look through the darkness to find a way out, but it was all consuming. She couldn't even see her hands that were bound to the chair she was sitting in.

Light suddenly flooded her vision, and she wished her hands were free to shield her eyes from the sudden burst of it. Once her eyes acclimated, she realized she was back in the house that Gold had asked her to meet at when she had tried to get rid of her magic. It was a room she hadn't seen before, and she wondered if it was the room that was supposed to have taken her magic before. Her back was facing the door, but she could sense that someone was behind her.

"Are you going to come around so I can see you, or are you trying to keep an air of mystery?" Emma asked, pulling at the ropes once more.

"Well, I've always found an air of mystery is fun in romance," the voice behind her called back.

Her ears immediately perked up, turning her head just enough to be able to see the outline of his black leather outfit. "Killian," Emma sighed in relief, her attempts at getting free immediately ceasing. She knew he couldn't have been the one to put her there, and he had come to help her. "Help me out of this, will you? I can't seem to get my magic to work."

"That's because the ropes are negating your magic," Killian said, his voice defeated as he walked in front of her. "You won't get out of those bonds unless he wants you to."

Emma looked up at him, confused. "Him? Him who?" She asked.

"You know who," he replied quietly, closing his eyes. It was just like the face he had made on the dock, almost pained. "Emma, please believe me when I tell you I'm sorry for everything that's about to happen." He pulled back his jacket, extracting a golden cylindrical object from under his arm that Emma had never seen before.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked, beginning to pull at the ropes again. "What is that?"

"This is what was going to take your magic before," Killian said, setting it on the floor in front of her. "Inside is a hat, filled with the magic of countless other magical beings just like you. Gold wants your powers. That's why he was so willing to _help_ you last time." His voice was already breaking, and despite his words, Emma still doubted his involvement in her entrapment. "When I wave my hand over this, the hat will be unleashed, and you…" He trailed off, unable to look at her as he spoke, his voice breaking even more heavily. "You will be lost inside its depths."

"Killian, why are you doing this?" Emma asked, the hurt finally evident in her voice. He had just told her that he would be waving his hand over the box. He would be putting her inside the hat. She still didn't want to believe it, not after everything they had been through. "Please look at me."

His head twitched in pain as he looked up at her, tears welling up in his eyes. "The Dark One… He took my heart. I don't want to do this. I don't…" Killian took a sharp breath, holding his hand next to the box. It was evident the move was not of his own will, his face showing the strain to keep his hand from moving. "Emma, my love, I don't want to hurt you. I've never been happier than I am with you, and the thought of losing you is eating away at me."

Emma felt her lip begin to tremble, trying her hardest to hold back her tears. This man that had become such an integral part of her life, who was finally starting to get past her walls, was about to kill her against his will. She could imagine they were both feeling the same pain. Being killed by someone she loved was going to be the last thing she ever experienced. A tear slid down her cheek as she stopped pulling at the ropes. "Killian, please don't do this."

"I don't want to!" Killian said loudly, gritting his teeth as he waited for the voice in his head to give him the command to end the life of the woman he loved. "Damn it, I thought this was it. I thought I would be able to make it past your walls and show you that I was a good man, that I was trying to be a better man for you. We had a whole life ahead of us, Emma. A life full of love and happiness and villains that didn't show up every couple of weeks."

"We can still have that," Emma replied quietly, failing to keep the tears from falling from her eyes. "We'll figure this out. This isn't the end."

"I'm afraid it is," he said, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "Because even if your family finds a way to get you out of this hat, I'll be dead as soon as you're in it." She could see it on his face that he hadn't wanted her to know, and her breath caught at his words. "As soon as the deed is done, Rumplestiltskin is going to crush my heart to dust. He's been waiting a long time to do it."

"No!" Emma screamed, tugging at the ropes with all of her strength. "No. You told me you would survive. You promised me. I told you I can't lose you." The tears were free falling down her cheeks as she continued to struggle. "Please, you have to find a way."

"You won't lose me. I will always be with you, Emma," Killian said, finally looking back up at her. She could see his arm shaking with the effort to keep it from moving over the box. "A love like ours doesn't just fade away. And I do love you, Swan. With every breath in me, I love you."

"_Do it now, pirate,_" Gold's voice boomed through the house.

"I love you, Emma," Killian said again, his arm shaking even more, keeping the movement over the box at bay. "Forever and always, I love you."

Emma gave him a shaky smile, trying to put on a brave face for him. "I love you, too," she replied, knowing it had needed to be said for some time. She had known how she felt ever since he had told her that he traded his ship to find her. No one had sacrificed so much for her, and she had never felt more loved than she had with him. "We had a good run. You lasted longer than most."

Killian's face broke into a smile at her words, and she was so happy that she could tell him before it was over. "I had intended on forever, you bloody, stubborn woman." He looked down at his arm and back at her, gritting his teeth as he tried to hold off as long as he could.

"_OPEN THE BOX!_"

"NO!" Killian called, groaning as he doubled over in pain, the hand that had been hovering beside the box now clutching his chest.

Emma was sure that she was witnessing his heart being crushed, and she screamed out is name. Having to witness the event once was enough, but watching the person she loved die right in front of her was a pain she didn't want to wish on anyone. She pulled at the ropes without abandon, wanting to hold him as he went, not wanting him to feel alone. It was the least she could do after everything he had done for her.

Suddenly, a blast of magic she had seen so many times burst from his chest. The ropes keeping her in the chair blew away like grains of sand in the wind, and she was beside him immediately. His back was moving up and down with the heaviness of his breath, and that was alone was enough to make her sigh in relief.

"Killian," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder and pulling her to him. Even though he was right in front of her, she needed the physical reassurance that he was still there. "Are you okay?"

"My heart," he said, lifting his head from his shoulder. He took her hand and quickly placed it on his chest. She had expected to feel nothing beneath her fingertips, but there under her palm was the steady beat of his heart. "It's back…"

"An act of true love…" Emma said quietly, looking up at him with wide eyes. "You were willing to die to keep me safe. You defied Gold even though he had your heart." If there was any doubt in Emma's mind that Killian loved her, it had been crushed by that action alone. There was so much that she wanted to say in that moment, so much thanks that she wanted to give him, but she settled for leaning in and pressing her lips to his. Sparks flashed behind her eyelids, her magic going slightly haywire from all the emotions coursing through her.

"Damn," he said as they pulled apart. "That was…"

"Definitely not a one-time thing," Emma said with a breathy chuckle. It killed her to ruin the moment, but she knew that there would be more to come for them. Reaching down, she picked up the golden box, holding it tight to her chest while her other hand found his. "Come on. We have a Dark One to finish."


End file.
